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No. 752,173. PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904.

' J. A. Muss.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1903.

no MOD-BL.

I] nu anlor 'of the upper being shown in section.

UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT ()EEICE.

JCHN ALBERTMANSS, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR To URFIT COMPAIW, orCINCINNATI, orno, A FIRM.

SHOE.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,173, datedFebruary 16, 1904.

Application filed September 16,1903. Serial No. 173,385. (1% model.)

To all whom it .may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN ALBERT MANSS, a

citizen of, the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of constructing and applying the lacing in.

strumentalities of a shoe.

The object of my invention is, first, to apply 'alacing instrumentalityto the lips or mouth of. a low-cut shoe, concealed from view and freefrom Contact with the foot and adapted to engage with the instep-lacing,so that the top of the shoe and the instep will be simultaneously laced,drawn tight, and fastened,

causing the shoe to fit closely to the ankle-and instep. I

Another object of my invention is to provide means for lacing both theinstep and the mouth of the shoe, the lacing instrumentalitiesat theankle being concealed from view between the lining, so as not to come inactual contact with the foot.

The features of my invention are more fully set forth in the descriptionof the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, inwhich' Figure 1 is an inside elevation of the upper of a shoe with thelacing instrumentalities applied near the mouth of the shoe, one-quarterFig. 2 is a top perspective view of a shoe, partly in section, showingthe lacing in position for tying.

A represents the sole of the shoe; B, the vamp-front; C, the quarters;D, the backstay; E, the eyelet-holes at the front of the quarter. Thestyle of cut is immaterial. Around the ankle, preferably between thelining and quarter, I construct an inclosed laceway adapted to hold adraw-strip. I place in this inclosed way a strip, preferably of rawhideor leather G, which is shown in its preferred form as stitched orfastened at the backstay, as shown in Fig. 1. The forward end of saiddraw-strip projects through a slit a in thelining, and its front end isprovided with an eye or loop 6.

The opposite side of the shoe in like manner is provided with a similardraw-strip. Preferably these are inserted and fixed in position beforestitching the lining to the quarter. It will be observed that shoes ofordinary construction have a curved form at the mouth of the shoe, asshown in Fig. 2. Now when lac- 1ngs are applied and concealed in themanner shown and described and a lace-string is inserted in the eyes 6the tendency of the drawing is to cause the lips of the mouth of theshoe to engage and fit the ankles, the tend ency of the strain being inthe straight line while the lace-strip is confined within the shoebeneath the lining in circular form. Hence it causes all parts to fitthe foot, and this can be obtained by the use of a tie-lace embracingthe eyes of the strip only.

In the preferred form of construction the instep lacing or string 5 isshown as having its ends passed through the eyes 6 of the lacing-stripG, so that the instep and mouth of the shoe will be simultaneously drawnaround the foot of the wearer. 'This method is preferred, because whenthe instep is laced in the ordinary manner the strain is vertically overthe instep from the shank upward and but very little or no forward draftis given the mouth of the shoe, but "with the lacings engaging anddrawn, as shown in Fig. 2, the forward and upward draft of the lacingsis simultaneously effected and a much more uniform and comfortable fitof the shoe is made.

While this invention is readily applicable to a high shoe, it isprimarily designed to be used'with a'low-Cut shoe, particularly of theOxford type. With this style of shoe laced in the ordinary manner thefitting of the upper to the contour of the ankle is altogether effectedby drawing together the eyelet edges of the upper in front. As a resultthe tension of the lacing over the tongue makes an uncomfortable bindingacross the instep in front, while the sides and rear of the shoe-topremain unfitted. The original rigidity of the sides and rear of theshoe-upper soon become reduced, and as a result the movement of theankle causes the shoe to assume an unsightly bulge at the sides. Thisnot only mars the beauty, but largely nulls the lacing efiect, so thatafter a few weeks wear such a shoe can be frequently taken off and puton without touching the lacing, or, if extra tension be imparted to thelacing to compensate for this bulge it pinches only across the front andseriously impedes the circulation of the blood at this point.

With my invention the lacing cooperates with the draw-strip and a slightamount of uniform contraction, accomplished by manipulating thelace-strings in the usual manner, will draw the flexible upper gently tofit the contour of the ankle, and this with a minimum tension. The bulgeat the sides no longer occurs, and the fitting, instead of deterioratingas the upper loses its original stiffness and rigidity, improves as theupper becomes more flexible. This pulling together the lace-string endsfrom the tops of the eyelets with my invention strains uniformly uponthe upper from all directions in which it is free to yield and producesa perfect fit with a minimum tension, a result improving with the lifeof the shoe. Any strip, preferably non-elastic, will answer for thedraw-strip.

One salient feature of my invention is the termination of theankle-contracting means in close proximity to the free or tying ends ofthe lacing, whereby the latter is made to directly engage with the freeends of the anklecontracting means, and in the act of tying the shoe thelacing is caused to simultaneously contract the upper portion of thelaceway and that part of the upper immediately surrounding the ankle.

It will be observed that when the lacing engages the ankle draw-stripsaid combined strip and lacing constitutes a tension means operated bymanipulation of the lace ends in the usual way to draw in the upper andlaceway.

While I have shown eyelets, other wellknown means for engaging thelacing may be employed; also while I have shown the inelastic draw stripas the preferred form, broadly speaking, any tension device capable ofcooperating with the lacing to simultaneously tighten the laceway andankle-way would be an acceptable equivalent.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a lace-shoe, incombination with the lacing and engaging means therefor, a drawstriparound the ankle, having looped front ends inside of the upper, throughwhich the lacing passes, whereby tension on the lacing ends contractsthe shoe-upper tothe contour of the ankle, substantially as described.

2. In a lace-shoe, in combination with the lacing, and engaging meanstherefor, a drawstrip at the ankle, under the lining, having loopedfront ends exposed inside of the upper in juxtaposition to the laceway,the lacingstring on each side engaging the looped end of the draw-stripon the'opposite side of the upper, whereby tension on the lacinguniformly contracts the shoe-upper to fit the contour. of the ankle,substantially as described.

3. In a lace-shoe, the combination with the lacing, and engaging meanstherefor, a substantially non-elastic draw-strip around the ankle,having looped front ends through which the lacing passes, whereby thetension imparted to the lacing in tying simultaneously contracts theupper to the contour of the ankle, substantially as described.

4:. In a lace-shoe, in combination with a lacing and engaging meanstherefor, an inclosed way around the ankle, a draw-strip therein, havinglooped front ends, each end of the lacing-string passing through theengaging device on one side of the shoe, throughthe looped end of thedraw=strip on the opposite side of the shoe and back through thetop-engaging device on the first-named side of the shoe, whereby eachend of the lacing-string has a direct pull on the opposite end of thedrawstrip, substantially as described.

5. In a lace-shoe having a laceway, engaging devices therefor, aninclosed way around the ankle, laceway and ankle contraction meansengaging said engaging devices and said inclosed way, said means havingtying ends adapted to simultaneously contract said lace and ankle ways,substantially as described.

6. In a lace-shoe, in combination with the front lacing and engagingmeans therefor, ankle-contracting means attached to the inside of theshoe-upper having looped ends upon opposite sides of the lace-engagingmeans in juxtaposition thereto, the lacing engaging through the loops ofthe said ankle-contracting means for the purposes substantially shownand described. 1

7. In a lace-shoe, in combination the lacing and engaging meanstherefor, ankle-contracting means having ends attached to the inside ofthshoe-upper upon opposite sides of the laceway in position to bedirectly engaged by the ends of the lacing-string, whereby the act oftightening the tying ends of said string contracts both the laceway andthe ankle-way, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set Witnesses:

OLIVER B. KAISER,

Lmsn BECK.

